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Media highlights for the week of Dec. 3-9, 2005
A sampling of NAU programs, professors, students, staff and alumni appearing in the news
Governor's Task Force Pushing for Increase in Teachers' Salaries
A task force appointed by Gov. Janet Napolitano is suggesting that the state set a minimum salary for teachers in order to help recruit talented people into the field, and the dollar amount the group has in mind would increase the current average by 25 percent. Draft recommendations prepared by the Governor's Committee for Teacher Quality and Support and presented to Napolitano on Monday suggest a $35,000 minimum statewide. Northern Arizona University President John Haeger, the committee's chair, said Arizona starting teachers with university degrees now make an average of $28,000 annually.
KPHO-TV (Phoenix, AZ) 12/9/2005
European Cross Country Championships Preview
While the championships are an early season test for most, Sunday's contest will actually extend Swede Johanna Nilsson's season by a few weeks. Competing for Northern Arizona University, the 21-year-old ran to a powerful win at the NCAA Championships on 21 November. Nilsson, whose university coach John Hayes described as being 'phenomenal shape,' will make just her second appearance at the continental championships. In 2000, she was on Sweden's junior team that finished third, the last time the Swedes reached the podium.
IAAF (online) 12/9/2005
2005 Best of Flag Winners
KNAU was named best morning radio show in 2005 Best of Flagstaff
Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff, AZ) 12/9/2005
Bishops urge more compassion for illegal immigrants
Arizona's Catholic bishops said politicians ought to make America's immigration policies more compassionate toward the thousands of illegal immigrants who sneak into the United States each year to provide a better living for their families. Fred Solop, a political science professor and pollster at Northern Arizona University, said those advocating compassion for illegal immigrants have largely been drowned out in the debate over the state's porous border. "This raises the concern for compassion to a higher level," Solop said.
Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff, AZ) 12/8/2005
Upcoming Events
The Center for High Altitude Training at NAU is hosting "Ingredients of Running Success," a presentation by Dr. Jack Daniels, the center's head distance coach, next Monday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. The lecture will be given at NAU's School of Communication in Room 119.
Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff, AZ) 12/8/2005
Few Arizonans have bad vibes about NAU
Arizonans have a positive impression of Northern Arizona University, a new telephone survey shows. It was conducted for the Office of Public Affairs by NAU's Social Research Laboratory in October by asking a total of 406 randomly selected adults in the state. Seventy-five percent of respondents had a positive impression of NAU, while only 2 percent had a negative impression. "Only 2 percent has a negative image of the NAU. This number is so small, that we are not used to it in surveys," Fred Solop, the director of the Social Research Laboratory, told the Arizona Daily Sun.
Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff, AZ) 12/7/2005
Panel wants statewide minimum teacher salary
A task force appointed by Gov. Janet Napolitano is suggesting that the state set a minimum salary for teachers in order to help recruit talented people into the field, and the dollar amount the group has in mind would increase the current average by 25 percent. Draft recommendations prepared by the Governor's Committee for Teacher Quality and Support and presented to Napolitano on Monday suggest a $35,000 minimum statewide. Northern Arizona University President John Haeger, the committee's chair, said Arizona starting teachers with university degrees now make an average of $28,000 annually.
Casa Grande Valley Newspaper (Casa Grande, AZ) 12/7/2005
Purdue program to recruit, retain Native students
A program in Purdue University's Graduate School will help give American Indian students a home away from home while they continue their education. Through a cooperative agreement with a mentoring program at Northern Arizona University, the Native American Cohort at Purdue program, nicknamed the Tecumseh Project, will offer support to American Indian graduate students in ways that have never been formally available before.
Indian Country Today (Canastota, NY) 12/7/2005
Panel backs $35K starting pay for Ariz. teachers
Arizona schools should pay starting teachers at least $35,000 a year, with more cash made available for those with more experience, a gubernatorial task force is proposing. John Haeger, chairman of the Governor's Committee on Teacher Quality and Support, said that is the bare minimum necessary to attract and retain the best people. How much that would mean to new teachers varies, as each district determines its own starting salaries. But Haeger, president of Northern Arizona University, said the statewide average now is $28,000 or less.
East Valley Tribune (Mesa, AZ) 12/6/2005
Governor's task force recommends pay hike for new teachers
Arizona schools should pay starting teachers at least $35,000 a year, with more cash made available for those with more experience, a gubernatorial task force is proposing. John Haeger, chairman of the Governor's Committee on Teacher Quality and Support, said that is the bare minimum necessary to attract and retain the best people.
Arizona Daily Star (Tucson, AZ) 12/6/2005
Nilsson's run-away cross country championship was no small feat
Winning should be enjoyable for any athlete. Sometimes, though, it's even more enjoyable for a coach. Such was the case for NAU cross country coach John Hayes on Nov. 21 at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. While at nationals, Hayes witnessed history being made in the women's 6-kilometer race. Lumberjacks standout Johanna Nilsson took first in a field of 253 runners, setting a course-record of 19 minutes, 34 seconds in the process. Nilsson shared or held the lead for the entire race. 'As a coach, you may or may not ever have another NCAA cross-country champion,' Hayes said, flashing a million-dollar smile a week later. 'It's different than track, where there's all the events. These are all the best distance runners. So I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to coach her this year, and if it works out that she's able to repeat or come close to a repeat, I'll be more than happy to be there.' What's more, Nilsson, a junior, obliterated the competition, winning by an astounding 12.1 seconds.
Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff, AZ) 12/5/2005
New tuition hikes drafted
The Arizona Board of Regents discussed the possibilities of differential tuition and approved a draft response to the tuition increase senate bill at the regents meeting on Friday. Rather than focusing on raising tuition as a whole, the regents discussed the merits of adjusting tuition for the separate colleges in a university. This differential tuition is a lump sum amount that could be higher or lower than the base tuition at a university, said Board President Christina Palacios. Northern Arizona University President John Haeger said inadequate state funding could have an adverse effect on all of Arizona's universities. "We have to educate students if tuition doesn't go up and appropriations don't go up, there will be fewer programs and fewer universities," Haeger said.
Arizona Daily Wildcat (Tucson, AZ) 12/5/2005
Guest Column: Putting 'dream' back into teaching
[The following excerpts appeared in a guest column written by NAU president John Haeger]: The article "Districts facing teacher crunch" in the Nov. 27 Arizona Republic accurately reported a problem that faces Arizona and the nation: There are not enough teachers to go around. Deans at our universities can tell you that when the economy is down, applications to teacher preparation programs go up; but as soon as economic times improve, fewer students choose a career in education. Not enough young, bright Americans want to teach, and it's no wonder. Teaching in the 21st century means you are agreeing to be subject to more scrutiny with less pay, and higher expectations also mean you will have little ongoing training. We will work to ensure that tomorrow's teachers share both the responsibility and support that previous generations of teachers have enjoyed so that future generations of kids can take the American dream to new heights.
The Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ) 12/5/2005
UA tuition hike expected next year
University of Arizona tuition will rise next year, but not as much as the 10 percent boost for 2005-06, UA President Peter Likins said. State legislators may consider barring universities from raising tuition beyond the level of inflation. Because the state constitution already restricts tuition increases for resident undergraduates, Likins said, any more control would create a "handicap in a system that is already handicapped to a degree." Northern Arizona University President John Haeger said the situation could be complicated by another plan legislators may consider. "If community colleges get the four-year degrees, it will be the wildest free-for-all imaginable," Haeger said. "People are thinking as though it were 25 years ago, but it's a wholly different environment," he said. "If (state) appropriations don't go up, we'll have lower quality or fewer institutions."
The Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ) 12/5/2005
Regents oppose tying tuition costs to inflation
The Arizona Board of Regents unanimously opposes limiting tuition increases for students already in college to the rate of inflation. The regents' staff presented a report Friday in response to a law that requested the regents' opinion on the issue. In explaining their stance, several regents said the state's funding of higher education is inadequate and has been for more than a decade. 'A 74 percent increase in tuition (over three years) is undesirable,' said Regent Ernie Calderon. 'But the lack of state funding is even more egregious.' Surveys have found that tuition and fees at Arizona's public universities are relatively inexpensive compared with those in other states. The University of Arizona, Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University rank 40th, 41st and 42nd in tuition, respectively, for the 2005-06 academic year, according to regents data. Still, many students have complained about the increases.
The Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ) 12/4/2005
Classical, jazz pianist to perform
Lawrence Porter knows the piano inside out—literally. In addition to his prizewinning skills as a performer, Porter is also a concert technician, skilled in the repair and maintenance of the instrument. Porter will present a University of New Mexico-Los Alamos Piano Fund Concert at 7 p.m. Friday in the UNM-LA Student Center. Porter holds a Master of Music Degree in Piano Performance from Northern Arizona University
Los Alamos Monitor (Los Alamos, NM) 12/4/2005
NAU rape case closed
A rape that was reported on the campus of Northern Arizona University Nov. 20 has been closed by campus police. Tom Bauer, spokesperson for NAU, stated in an e-mail that police investigators stated that upon initial interview the parties had numerous inconsistencies in versions of events. The accuser was reinterviewed, 'and her account of what truly happened does not meet the sexual assault statute.' The case was closed as unfounded.
Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff, AZ) 12/4/2005
Napolitano has head start
Despite Republican criticism of her trips, many have hit home with voters. Napolitano's stop at a Chandler elementary school to hand out books to first-graders in mid-November scored points with the pupils and their teachers. "Clearly, she has set a new path in traveling around the state," said Fred Solop, professor of political science at Northern Arizona University. "It's good politics, smart politics. It's great for young people to see that the governor is so visible."
The Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ) 12/4/2005
Arizona regents not in favor of tuition limits
Arizona university students and some legislators may think that putting a lid on tuition is a great idea, but the Board of Regents doesn't. The board responded Friday to state legislators' demands to study possible outcomes for limiting tuition for continuing students to no more than inflation. The board, which regulates the three state universities, unanimously approved a study on the issue, compiled by regents' officials and university representatives, sending it to the Legislature for consideration. Regents and universities said they would prefer to have leeway to set tuition as needed. Surveys show that compared with other state university systems, Arizona’s average tuition and fees are among the lowest in the country — with the University of Arizona ranked 40th, Arizona State University-Tempe 41st, and Northern Arizona University 42nd.
East Valley Tribune (Mesa, AZ) 12/3/2005
Debate arises over four-year college or extension
While lobbyists, legislators and local officials are backing a bill to make the Eastern Arizona College a four-year institution, Safford Mayor Ron Green is trying to gain support to bring a different university into Safford. Green said he was approached a little less than a year ago by Randy Groth, president of and lobbyist for the University of Arizona South in Sierra Vista and civilian aide to the secretary of the Army, to place a University of Arizona extension in Safford. Rep. Bill Konopnicki compared U of A South with Eastern—U of A's mission is similar to the Northern Arizona University's, which already provides some degree programs at the EAC campus. EAC would have expanded new programs.
Eastern Arizona Courier (Safford, AZ) 12/3/2005
Tom Collins Named Ball State Athletics Director
Ball State University has selected Tom Collins as its new director of intercollegiate athletics. Collins earned his bachelor's degree from Northern Arizona University.
BallStateSports.com (online) 12/3/2005
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